The Tower Tarot card. Embrace it or fear it – if you are a Tarot devotee, there are moments where you must face this card head on. The Tower is understood as shock, massive disruption, illumination or an eye opening moment.

When I drew the Tower as my card a day, my instinct was to pull back. Resisting this urge, I looked closer, challenging myself to look at little deeper.

If you ever struggle with the meaning of a card, you can do as I did – I literally asked the card out loud, “What is your message for me?” Then wait and let it come.

My eyes were drawn to the lightening bolt. My message was – I was to have a flash of brilliance today!

I live a stone’s throw, literally in the shadow of the Empire State Building. It was designed to serve as a lightening rod and protect the surrounding area. Lightening strikes my neighborhood over a hundred times a year via that landmark. There’s a good reminder I should stay open and available to a higher power that brings insights and moments of brilliance.

Later that afternoon – the flash of illumination struck me! As I curled up for a cat nap, a genius idea for my daughter’s fifth birthday occurred. I followed up with my plan, made it happen and am parlaying my concept into an article for a local New York Kids magazine.

Lightening will always follow the path of least resistance. I let the idea carry me and I followed through.In “The Secret” they say the universe likes a quick reaction. In other words, if inspiration strikes, don’t hesitate. I didn’t.

Did the Tower card predict this? Did it come to me because I insisted to myself I’d have a brilliant thought? Was I so hell bent on ignoring the negative aspect of the Tower that I made something positive happen? I don’t know.

What I do know, is I’m busy at work and inspired. When the Tower crumbles, it leaves enlightenment in its wake. I’m feeling psyched and excited. Thanks Tower. Guess you are not so scary after all.

This is the “Oh my God!!!” card. The Tower is at once shocking. Were this card to have a sound effect, it would be a great crash of thunder and it displays the blinding flash of a lightening bolt. In short, the Tower is a wake up call. A moment of truth.

What would it mean if you were to pull this the Tower for your card of the day? Well, it starts me off thinking about the last time I was hit with sudden understanding. A revelation. In a religious sense it could be the true feeling of knowing god. Tower moments also arise when something you’ve refused to acknowledge bursts to the surface in an unavoidable way. Often, it is the most frightening moments in life, which change you profoundly. We’ve all heard stories about people who had near death experiences. It often changes the entire way they comprehend their lives. Often, the Tower can indicate the need for an enormous shift.

I don’t think Tower moments come up often in one’s life. Perhaps, this is why the Tower doesn’t appear in spreads very often. When it does, you should pay particular attention to it! Think about the Tower moments in your life. Some of mine include knowing the exact moment I was going to spend the rest of my life with my husband(my late twenties, our apartment, it was bedtime). The moment I was sent to the hospital to have my daughter (late afternoon, upper east side cafe, 2003). The moment I realized being famous was not going to make me happy (Dallas Film Festival, q and a after the screening of my independent film). Sometimes, it is not about you but a realization about people you love. Like the time I realized a beloved family member was an alcoholic. It can be a revelation about your calling in life. I will never forget the moment it occurred to me, out of the blue, I could make a career out of Tarot. It made such perfect sense, was so obvious, I could not believe I had not thought of it before.

So, think about these great moments of illumination in your life. I bet if you recall your teen years you will find a lot of Tower moments. It is worth reflecting on these times. Whether they are frightening or illuminating, they become defining moments in your life.

Can you recall a moment where you life changed in an instant? Have you ever been the source of a Tower moment for someone else? If your life were stripped down to the bare essentials, what would those essentials be? What area of your life needs a shakeup?